3D Print and the Jewellery Industry: An Overview

3D printers are a type of Rapid Prototyping technology, positioned as a design tool for producing inexpensive models early in the process of design. The physical models created by the 3D printers make it possible for the design team to review the concepts. In turn, this guarantees the manufacturer better feedback. As you can guess, this results in superior products. 3D printing offers the manufacturers a scope to realise real-time teamwork on a global scale. In recent times, the use of 3D has enhanced drastically with several industries adopting this technology.

The jewellery industry is not an exception. It was one amongst the very first industries to utilise 3D printing in their ‘investment casting’ process. Instead of using metal printers, wax is used here; this means that the piece of jewellery is sculpted or printed out of wax. Till date, this is the basic process the independent jewellers have been using.

The design world has cottoned on the possibilities of 3D printing, using it for creating everything, right from lampshades to crockeries while the watchmakers used the accuracy it offers for the creation of intricate mechanisms and entire watch cases. Though several jewellers are championing its usage, there are some critical about its use.

There is no reason of being critical about it. The technology is here for printing directly in precious metals, using the 3D printers which fire out fine layers of gold dust for structuring a solid object. There is a problem here. It is quite expensive. Quite commonly, the jewellers use the 3D printers for producing resin or wax moulds of models. These are created usingCAD or Computer Aided designand then cast in precious metals.

This technology allows the designers create pieces that are almost impossible to manufacture by hand. The 3D printer facilitates the creation of joints that are stronger, formed of a continuous piece of metal rather than multiple pieces soldered together. Moreover, it facilitates the introduction of new 3D shapes. CAD is presently a part of the jewellery design curriculum in various colleges though the very idea of ‘casting’ frightens the more traditional jewellers.

3D Printed Jewellery Advantages

What if there has been a fight with your partner and you want to make that up quickly with a piece of customised jewellery? Since technological advancements have made it possible to print jewellery directly from precious metals, this can be an option very soon.

3D technology is a real help in interpreting complicated designs like an intricate clasp or a symmetrical piece. It can also be used to produce multiple interpretations of a given handmade design.

The appeal of 3D printing lies in the opportunity to produce unique pieces, that too, fast.

3D Printed Jewellery Roadblocks

Remember that jewellery design is not yet a seamless process. A designer may submit a design that is not possible to print as presented. It needs to be adapted. It is not possible to print absolutely anything. After a design is agreed upon and then produced, it needs to be polished and finished professionally.

Another roadblock to adopting this technology is the cost. Moreover, the companies also need to redefine their strategy of working. People are always sceptic of new technology and the jewellery industry is not an exception either. The traditional jewellers prefer to think “We have been doing this for the last 500 years. Why will we change?” People have a romantic vision of everything that’s made by hand. A part of this romance is taken away with the availability of 3D printing technology in jewellery design. A lot of people believe that the key to luxury is craft and history. Some brands are afraid of using a technology that will allow things to be made faster.

The attitude towards 3D technology has its base in the traditional industry’s fear of the new. Things that were once new are now traditional. This is simply a response to new technology. Given the advantages, we hope that very soon more brands will welcome usage of 3D technology in jewellery.3D printers are a type of Rapid Prototyping technology, positioned as a design tool for producing inexpensive models early in the process of design. The physical models created by the 3D printers make it possible for the design team to review the concepts. In turn, this guarantees the manufacturer better feedback. As you can guess, this results in superior products. 3D printing offers the manufacturers a scope to realise real-time teamwork on a global scale. In recent times, the use of 3D has enhanced drastically with several industries adopting this technology.

The jewellery industry is not an exception. It was one amongst the very first industries to utilise 3D printing in their ‘investment casting’ process. Instead of using metal printers, wax is used here; this means that the piece of jewellery is sculpted or printed out of wax. Till date, this is the basic process the independent jewellers have been using.

The design world has cottoned on the possibilities of 3D printing, using it for creating everything, right from lampshades to crockeries while the watchmakers used the accuracy it offers for the creation of intricate mechanisms and entire watch cases. Though several jewellers are championing its usage, there are some critical about its use.

There is no reason of being critical about it. The technology is here for printing directly in precious metals, using the 3D printers which fire out fine layers of gold dust for structuring a solid object. There is a problem here. It is quite expensive. Quite commonly, the jewellers use the 3D printers for producing resin or wax moulds of models. These are created usingCAD or Computer Aided designand then cast in precious metals.

This technology allows the designers create pieces that are almost impossible to manufacture by hand. The 3D printer facilitates the creation of joints that are stronger, formed of a continuous piece of metal rather than multiple pieces soldered together. Moreover, it facilitates the introduction of new 3D shapes. CAD is presently a part of the jewellery design curriculum in various colleges though the very idea of ‘casting’ frightens the more traditional jewellers.

3D Printed Jewellery Advantages

What if there has been a fight with your partner and you want to make that up quickly with a piece of customised jewellery? Since technological advancements have made it possible to print jewellery directly from precious metals, this can be an option very soon.

3D technology is a real help in interpreting complicated designs like an intricate clasp or a symmetrical piece. It can also be used to produce multiple interpretations of a given handmade design.

The appeal of 3D printing lies in the opportunity to produce unique pieces, that too, fast.

3D Printed Jewellery Roadblocks

Remember that jewellery design is not yet a seamless process. A designer may submit a design that is not possible to print as presented. It needs to be adapted. It is not possible to print absolutely anything. After a design is agreed upon and then produced, it needs to be polished and finished professionally.

Another roadblock to adopting this technology is the cost. Moreover, the companies also need to redefine their strategy of working. People are always sceptic of new technology and the jewellery industry is not an exception either. The traditional jewellers prefer to think “We have been doing this for the last 500 years. Why will we change?” People have a romantic vision of everything that’s made by hand. A part of this romance is taken away with the availability of 3D printing technology in jewellery design. A lot of people believe that the key to luxury is craft and history. Some brands are afraid of using a technology that will allow things to be made faster.

The attitude towards 3D technology has its base in the traditional industry’s fear of the new. Things that were once new are now traditional. This is simply a response to new technology. Given the advantages, we hope that very soon more brands will welcome usage of 3D technology in jewellery.